hello blog world! it's been way too long since i've posted something here. i apologize for my long absence. i have been extremely busy with work and family responsibilites, which temporarily put my GMAT studying on hold for a couple months.
i finally signed up to retake my GMAT on August 9. it doesn't give me too much time to study, but i think it should be fine as long as i review the materials once again and take some additional practice tests. i'm at the point where i'm pretty exhausted with GMAT studying and just want to be done with it so i can focus on other elements of my application. since the last time i blogged, many of my target schools have already posted up their essay questions and many of our blog friends have already begun to write away. i will catch up once i'm done with my GMAT retake.
it's so good to see our c/o 2010 blog friends making their final preparations to go to b-school and slowly making the move to their new home. it's amazing how fast time flies; it just seems like yesterday that i was reading about their application/interview stories on their blogs. and now, they're finally starting~. this is such an exciting time of the year. i hope to be in the same boat as them just one year from now. =)
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
GMAT aftermath
first off, sorry for the delay in this post-GMAT entry. after the exam last monday, i decided to take a break from all things MBA related... including my blog. it was a good rest for a full week, but now i'm ready to get the ball rolling again.
so, in terms of my GMAT, i did.... pretty average [Q49 / V36 / AWA 5.5 = 700(92%)]. [edit] ok, it was above average, but i couldn't help but be a little disappointed in myself as i was hoping to score a lot better. all of my practice exams were in the mid-700 range, but i only barely broke the 700 mark. hence i made the decision to take the exam again in a couple months. 700 is an acceptable score, but not quite what i was aiming for. so, it's back to the books, the reading, the studying all over again. since the verbal section is what killed me, i need to go back and make sure that i perfect all the SC rules, and fully understand the CR and the RC like the back of my hand.
it's kind of a bummer to think about studying for the GMAT again. but on a positive note, i'm very thankful that i actually have another chance to get this right early on in the application process. =)
here's to another few months of studying!!
so, in terms of my GMAT, i did.... pretty average [Q49 / V36 / AWA 5.5 = 700(92%)]. [edit] ok, it was above average, but i couldn't help but be a little disappointed in myself as i was hoping to score a lot better. all of my practice exams were in the mid-700 range, but i only barely broke the 700 mark. hence i made the decision to take the exam again in a couple months. 700 is an acceptable score, but not quite what i was aiming for. so, it's back to the books, the reading, the studying all over again. since the verbal section is what killed me, i need to go back and make sure that i perfect all the SC rules, and fully understand the CR and the RC like the back of my hand.
it's kind of a bummer to think about studying for the GMAT again. but on a positive note, i'm very thankful that i actually have another chance to get this right early on in the application process. =)
here's to another few months of studying!!
Saturday, March 29, 2008
time to get serious
it's officially crack down time. work decided to take over my life and left me with no time to study for the last 10 days or so. now, i have just about a week left before the big exam day and i'm already starting to feel butterflies in my stomach. i really hope i get a good enough score that would free me from taking the GMAT again. oh, what a wonderful thought...
i'm going to take 3-4 practice tests over the course of next week and visit my testing facility ahead of time to make sure i know where it is. any suggestions on the types of snacks i should take to the testing center? 4 hours is a mighty long time to run without fuel.
let me just say though, the community of mba bloggers here has truly been a great source of motivation and inspiration to me. without this support, i wouldn't have ever thought of aiming so high and pursuing my dream schools as fervently as i am right now. thanks to all who have directly or indirectly encouraged me to reach for the stars. (<--- yea it's cheesy, but hey, it works!)
D-8!!!
(hopefully i can write a big whoopin' "i rocked the gmat!!" entry in 8 days!)
i'm going to take 3-4 practice tests over the course of next week and visit my testing facility ahead of time to make sure i know where it is. any suggestions on the types of snacks i should take to the testing center? 4 hours is a mighty long time to run without fuel.
let me just say though, the community of mba bloggers here has truly been a great source of motivation and inspiration to me. without this support, i wouldn't have ever thought of aiming so high and pursuing my dream schools as fervently as i am right now. thanks to all who have directly or indirectly encouraged me to reach for the stars. (<--- yea it's cheesy, but hey, it works!)
D-8!!!
(hopefully i can write a big whoopin' "i rocked the gmat!!" entry in 8 days!)
Monday, March 17, 2008
climbing up the GMAT ladder
i just took the last of my MGMAT CAT exams. i was so tired today and had a bit of a food coma from dinner, so i wasn't really expecting a stellar score. after finishing up the verbal section, i clicked to view the results... and my jaw dropped to the floor. i got a 770?! i blurted a loud "OH. MY. GOSH." and ran to the next room to tell my sister my little victory news. could it be that i'm almost ready to take the test? wow, i just hope it's not a fluke.
just to give my readers some perspective, here are my practice test scores from the very beginning:
01/19 GMAT Prep #1- 660
01/21 MGMAT Free Exam- 650 (Q40, V39)
02/02 MGMAT CAT Exam #1- 700* (Q47, V39)
02/09 MGMAT CAT Exam #2- 730* (Q49, V41)
02/18 MGMAT CAT Exam #3- 710* (Q49, V38)
02/23 Kaplan Onsite Exam- 710 (Q47, V43)
03/06 MGMAT CAT Exam #4- 740* (Q49, V42)
03/16 MGMAT CAT Exam #5- 770 (Q50, V45)
* the scores with an asterisk are the ones i don't count as accurate scores. i actually went over the time limit on the quant section for these exams.
but today's exam was strictly timed and i hit a new personal best. maybe i work better under timed pressure after all. this definitely made my whole weekend~ =)
now to april 7 --> D-21!
just to give my readers some perspective, here are my practice test scores from the very beginning:
01/19 GMAT Prep #1- 660
01/21 MGMAT Free Exam- 650 (Q40, V39)
02/02 MGMAT CAT Exam #1- 700* (Q47, V39)
02/09 MGMAT CAT Exam #2- 730* (Q49, V41)
02/18 MGMAT CAT Exam #3- 710* (Q49, V38)
02/23 Kaplan Onsite Exam- 710 (Q47, V43)
03/06 MGMAT CAT Exam #4- 740* (Q49, V42)
03/16 MGMAT CAT Exam #5- 770 (Q50, V45)
* the scores with an asterisk are the ones i don't count as accurate scores. i actually went over the time limit on the quant section for these exams.
but today's exam was strictly timed and i hit a new personal best. maybe i work better under timed pressure after all. this definitely made my whole weekend~ =)
now to april 7 --> D-21!
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
signed up for the GMAT!
after weeks of hesitation and doubting myself time and time again, i finally signed up for my GMAT exam. the d-day is monday, april 7. now i really have no excuse but to study like there's no tomorrow. i am a little nervous because i feel like i locked myself in to a date that i may not be completely ready for. but reading past entries from fellow applicant bloggers reassured me that no one feels 100% ready for the test and that you just have to go for it. my dreams and hopes are high, so the stress level and anxiety are that much higher.
too bad there's way too much going on in my life. (isn't that the story of everyone's life? =P) of course, life would be dandy if we had all the time in the world to devote to GMAT studies, schools research, applications, and interview prep. but given the situation i am in right now, this will be a true test of my ability to multi-task, manage my time super wisely, and (hopefully) conquer it all.
ALL THE BEST TO 2008 APPLICANTS WHO ARE INTERVIEWING/HEARING BACK FROM SCHOOLS!
too bad there's way too much going on in my life. (isn't that the story of everyone's life? =P) of course, life would be dandy if we had all the time in the world to devote to GMAT studies, schools research, applications, and interview prep. but given the situation i am in right now, this will be a true test of my ability to multi-task, manage my time super wisely, and (hopefully) conquer it all.
ALL THE BEST TO 2008 APPLICANTS WHO ARE INTERVIEWING/HEARING BACK FROM SCHOOLS!
Monday, February 25, 2008
experimental section- say what?!
i took a practice GMAT exam hosted by Kaplan this past weekend and one thing that the proctor said to the class really bothered me. according to this proctor/teacher, the actual GMAT exam has four sections- the writing, the quant, the verbal, and an experimental section that can either be quant or verbal. now, i've been looking into the GMAT for a few months now and have read countless blogs and discussion boards... and never did anyone say that there was a whole experimental section on the GMAT. i've heard of experimental questions spread out within each section, but having a whole another section is brand new news to me.
can someone please advise as to whether this is true or not? i'm really hoping that the kaplan teacher guy is wrong, because building stamina for an additional 75 minutes on the actual GMAT day is something that i am definitely not prepared for.
can someone please advise as to whether this is true or not? i'm really hoping that the kaplan teacher guy is wrong, because building stamina for an additional 75 minutes on the actual GMAT day is something that i am definitely not prepared for.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
crankin away...
quick update on my GMAT studying:
things are going fairly well. i've been studying little bits and pieces during the weekdays and taking full practice exams on the weekends. i was a little concerned at first, because timing was a BIG issue for me on the quant section. on one of the very first practice exams, it took me over 2 hours to finish just the quant! i quickly had to calm myself down and started to focus on time management. needless to say, this past weekend's practice exam was a LOT better; i only went over the time limit by about 5 minutes.
my practice exam scores have been slowly rising up as well... this past weekend i scored a 710. not too bad, but i can definitely do better. since my goal is a 750+ and my exam day is still over a month away, i'm gonna start crankin it up a notch and go deeper into my studies.
on a last note: i just realized i was added to the mba applicants blog list. if this is your first time reading my blog, welcome! feel free to drop by anytime and leave a note or two. i've been one of those anonymous lurkers of many mba blogs for a couple months now, so i will probably know a lot of you already. =)
things are going fairly well. i've been studying little bits and pieces during the weekdays and taking full practice exams on the weekends. i was a little concerned at first, because timing was a BIG issue for me on the quant section. on one of the very first practice exams, it took me over 2 hours to finish just the quant! i quickly had to calm myself down and started to focus on time management. needless to say, this past weekend's practice exam was a LOT better; i only went over the time limit by about 5 minutes.
my practice exam scores have been slowly rising up as well... this past weekend i scored a 710. not too bad, but i can definitely do better. since my goal is a 750+ and my exam day is still over a month away, i'm gonna start crankin it up a notch and go deeper into my studies.
on a last note: i just realized i was added to the mba applicants blog list. if this is your first time reading my blog, welcome! feel free to drop by anytime and leave a note or two. i've been one of those anonymous lurkers of many mba blogs for a couple months now, so i will probably know a lot of you already. =)
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